Promising Playwright, April 2010

Cassidy Boomsma is in the eighth grade at Swanson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia. Middle school can be a confusing time. Some students are still interested in creative play and games, while others begin to turn toward high school pursuits, like dating and algebra. Cassidy captures the contradictions of this phase in her play Love, Math and Martians Don’t Mix.

Lucy: Don’t you wanna go to the park?

Thaddeus: I veto that idea. I don’t engage myself in useless and frivolous behavior. Now run off and leave me unaccompanied.

"I was inspired by the people I see at school," Cassidy says. "When I was little I used to play rocket ship." Now Cassidy likes to hang out with her friends, read and check her e-mail. "I don’t know what I want to be yet, but I’m thinking maybe a lawyer or a doctor," she says. "That would be interesting."

Cassidy’s favorite movie is 17 Again with Zac Ephron. In the movie, the protagonist returns to his high school days to try to recapture the opportunities he’d lost. "It’s funny because he’s in with all the high schoolers but he’s so adult," Cassidy says.

Next year Cassidy will likely attend Washington-Lee High School. "I’m pretty excited but also kind of intimidated because it’s so much bigger than my school," she says.

In the meantime there’s still time for fun. Cassidy’s play will be produced at the New Play Festival on April 19-21st. She sat in on a recent rehearsal. "It looks really good. It’s really fun to see my play come to life," she says. "I hope that people who come to see the play will think it’s funny and they’ll have fun when they watch it."

To learn more about the New Play Festival and see the other young playwrights who will be featured click here.